Brown Spots, Brown Pigment, and Sun Damaged Skin
Q: I have a lot of brown spots, brown pigment, and sun damage on my skin. Which treatment would be best for me?
A: We recommend the Fraxel Restore Dual laser to our patients who want to improve their brown spots and abnormal brown pigment in their skin. Treatments with the Fraxel Restore Dual result in the rapid clearance of abnormal brown pigment from the skin, including the pigment found in brown spots, brown patches, and sun spots. In addition, skin color following the treatment is much more uniform and much less blotchy.
The Fraxel Restore Dual laser works by delivering laser energy into the top layers of the skin where the abnormal brown pigment is located. This results in rapid clearance of the pigment from the skin. As a result, significant reduction in abnormal brown pigment can be achieved in only a few treatment sessions. Commonly treated areas include the face, neck, chest, hands, and arms.
Fraxel Restore Dual laser treatments are very well tolerated and are performed using only numbing cream. There is no sedation or other anesthesia required. There is no pain or recovery downtime following Fraxel Restore Dual laser treatments, and normal activities may be resumed immediately following the treatment. Skin care after the laser treatment consists of only the use of a sunscreen and moisturizer.
Our office has been performing Fraxel laser skin resurfacing since 2004, when the Fraxel laser was first introduced for skin rejuvenation. As a result, we have extensive experience with Fraxel laser skin treatment. Dr. Anterasian has performed over 2400 Fraxel laser procedures with consistently excellent results.
In addition to the Fraxel laser, we also use the Q-switched alexandrite laser in our office to remove brown spots. This laser is used to remove a wide variety of pigmented skin lesions. Sun spots, brown spots, freckles, and patchy areas on the face and body can all be removed with the “Q-switched Alex.” The laser is extremely safe and highly effective. It is so easy to tolerate that the procedure does not require any numbing cream. Generally, only one or two sessions are needed to remove these skin lesions.
Because this is a non-ablative laser, no special skin care is needed after the treatment. Patients only need to take reasonable sun precautions, apply an ointment to the treated spots, and use sunscreen. There is absolutely no recovery downtime with the Q-switched alexandrite laser.
Any of our patients who have pigmented spots on their face or body that they would like to remove are invited to call our office and make an appointment with either Dr. Amerian or Dr. Anterasian.
Non-Surgical Eyelid Tightening and Eyelid Rejuvenation
During the past few years, there have been dramatic and revolutionary advances in laser technology. By applying these new technologies to the eyelids, it has become possible to rejuvenate and tighten the eyelid skin in nearly all patients without surgery. Today, surgery only needs to be done on the most severely aged eyelids.
In order to match the correct eyelid rejuvenation procedure to the right patient, we divide the eyelid skin into three degrees of laxity: mild, moderate, and severe. Patients who only have mild eyelid laxity are best treated with the eyelid Thermage procedure. Eyelid Thermage is a procedure that smoothes the texture of the eyelid skin and decreases eyelid hooding and wrinkling. Patients benefit from a single treatment that has no downtime. Patients who have had eyelid Thermage, which is also known as the “Eyes by Thermage” procedure, report that their eyelid sagging is improved and both the upper and lower eyelids are tighter. The eyes look brighter and appear more open. In addition, the improved smoothness of the skin makes it easier to apply eye make-up.
Eyelid Fraxel is intended for patients who have developed moderate laxity and crepiness of the skin of the upper and lower eyelids. The procedure reduces skin crepiness, softens lines and wrinkles, tightens the skin, and produces an overall skin rejuvenation effect. Fraxel laser resurfacing is generally done as a series of three or four treatments given at monthly intervals. The eyelid treatment may be done in conjunction with Fraxel laser treatment of the face or it may be done by itself. The procedure has no downtime. After completing their treatments, patients can reliably expect the skin to look more youthful and rejuvenated.
Patients with more severe laxity are best treated with the Fraxel Repair laser. With the Fraxel Repair, patients obtain significant tightening of their eyelid tissues in a single procedure, which is a welcome advance. Fraxel Repair eyelid treatment can be done by itself or it may be combined with treatment of the face. Patients who undergo Fraxel Repair treatment should be prepared for four to five days of healing following the procedure.
Eyelid Thermage, eyelid Fraxel, and eyelid Fraxel Repair all stimulate the production of new collagen in the eyelid skin and promote tissue tightening. This new collagen is living tissue, and for this reason, the improvement in the eyelids following any of these treatments is long lasting and should persist for years.
Regardless of which technology is used to treat the eyelids, the rejuvenation may be further enhanced with Botox and dermal fillers. Botox is used to soften the lines around the eyes (crow’s feet lines). Dermal fillers such as Juvederm and Restylane are used to soften the depressions and folds that form below the eye (known as the tear trough). By combining Thermage or either of the Fraxel lasers with Botox and dermal fillers, nearly all of our patients can achieve very natural eyelid tightening and rejuvenation without undergoing a surgical procedure.
We invite any of our patients who may be interested in non-surgical eyelid rejuvenation to contact our office and make an appointment with either Dr. Amerian or Dr. Anterasian.
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